


at the tipping point

by sunshineinthestorm



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Christmas, College, F/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-26
Updated: 2016-01-26
Packaged: 2018-05-16 11:05:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5826154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshineinthestorm/pseuds/sunshineinthestorm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles is decorating his Christmas tree. Lydia is studying for finals on the other side of the country and watching his Snapchat story jealously. It doesn't end well for her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	at the tipping point

**Author's Note:**

> because i'm still finishing fic requests that i got in december oops.... posting this separately from my drabble series because I might write a part two for it next december. when it's actually an appropriate time to be writing christmas fics.

Lydia wouldn’t trade going to MIT for the world, but that doesn’t mean her heart doesn’t crack a little when she sees Stiles’s snapchat story. He’s putting up a Christmas tree that’s far too large for his house, hanging ornaments on the back of Scott’s shirt when he isn’t paying attention, and throwing tinsel all over the tree (and the carpet) with reckless abandon. (His dad doesn’t look particularly happy about that.) All while Lydia is hunched over her desk in her dorm, reading her chemistry notes for finals until her eyes ache. Then, to make matters worse, Stiles begins sending her pictures _directly_ — mostly stupid, mildly terrifying ornaments he’d made in elementary school. She looks at them and doesn’t reply until he sends her a particularly demonic-looking “angel” with a creepy smile and something she’s pretty sure is a forked tail. It’s the last straw.

 _Stop rubbing it in my face,_  she types furiously, sending him a chat because her hair is a mess and she isn’t wearing nearly enough makeup to take a decent selfie.

He responds almost immediately. _What do you mean?_

She huffs in annoyance, glances at her chemistry notes, and leaves her desk, curling up in her roommate’s comfy armchair instead. She needs a break anyway. _Nvm,_  she types eventually, after looking at his snapchat story again. It’s not fair of her to get mad at him for having a good time, just because she can’t. _I just don’t have enough room in my dorm for a Christmas tree._

He doesn’t answer for the longest time, and Lydia wishes she’d texted him instead, just so she could see if he was typing out a reply or if he’d seen her message and decided it didn’t need a response. It shouldn’t bother her, not knowing whether Stiles is focused on her or typing offhand chats while chasing Scott around his house, but she knows why it does. She’s known for a long time. It’s infuriating.

Finally, he writes out, _oh._ Then, just after, _I know my tree isn’t nearly as classy as yours would be if you had one to decorate, but do you want a picture of the finished product? you could hang it over your desk and pretend it’s yours._ He doesn’t say anything else for approximately one minute and then adds, _idk. or maybe you don’t want a picture of my tree. it’s all star wars ornaments._

She snorts, considers his messages, and then says, _bring it on. i bet it looks ridiculous._

_hey! I’ll have you know that yoda makes an excellent angel topper._

_uh-huh._

They chat for a while longer, and then Lydia forces herself to sign off so she can go find lunch. It’s 4:15 in the afternoon. Stiles sends her a judgmental emoji and tells her that she isn’t allowed to skip meals just because it’s finals week. _Eating food helps you study better. For… uh… reasons. It’s science, lyds._

 _And who is the actual science major here?_ she shoots back. _Bye, Stiles._

He sends her five different food emojis, and Lydia has to resist the urge to respond again. She has to limit the amount of Stiles Stilinski in her life, especially during finals. She’d only ever admit it to herself, but he’s extremely distracting.

Then, three hours later, he sends her an actual picture of his tree — via text message, so she can save it more easily. There’s still tinsel all over the floor. Yoda is tilting dangerously to the left, looking like he’ll fall off the tree at any moment. Stiles has a full-size light saber hanging from one of the sturdier branches.

She prints the picture out immediately and puts it in the center of her bulletin board. Then she sends exactly five messages, all in a row, telling him all the ways that she would have hung his ornaments differently. _And you can’t put two darth vaders next to each other, Stiles_ , her last message reads. _Especially when they’re the same size. And possibly the same ornament. Switch one of them with the R2-D2 one._

 _Which R2-D2 one?_  he writes. Then, _Do you just want to come over after you get home for Christmas? You can rearrange the ornaments as much as you want._ There’s a pause. _As long as you don’t take the light saber off. I have a bet going with Scott. He thinks it’s going to break the branch before Christmas Eve. I think it’ll last until New Year’s._

She doesn’t even have to think about her response. _Sure, Stiles. I feel bad for your tree. It’s practically begging me to rescue it._

She probably should have come up with an excuse not to go. But she’s been in love with him for three years. At this point, she’s given up on trying to suppress it.

Besides, his tree really does look absurd.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr at stilestilikeslydia.tumblr.com!


End file.
